Where to buy cheap custom lens boards? + Some lens board related questions.

[Jonathan Barlow]

I bought some beautiful 6x6 boards for my military Deardorff from a cabinetmaker who sells on eBay under the ID zbima1. His prices are reasonable ($20-30) and the boards are extremely well made. The mahogany boards are especially nice.

[tenderobject]

have you done board for KMV 8x10?

I can make some for you. Not wood but aluminium composite (light and quite flexible) and "kind of MDF" - I dont know what it's called in English (heavy and tough). Price is about $10 - $30
IMO the best solution is make a 7 1/2 to 6x6 reducing board, then use 6x6 board for all your lenses. 6x6 Kodak 2D board is compact, large enough for almost 8x10 lenses and easy to make.

[John Kasaian]

Your local High School woodshop. Be nice to the teacher

[Amedeus]

+1 ... happy customer here ... lens boards + custom size holes at a reasonable price ...

I bought some beautiful 6x6 boards for my military Deardorff from a cabinetmaker who sells on eBay under the ID zbima1. His prices are reasonable ($20-30) and the boards are extremely well made. The mahogany boards are especially nice.

[jumanji]

I've heard that KMV board is different from 2D board.
And I forgot that I'm in Vietnam so shipping might be a problem. Could be cheap, but also slow.
Making usable lens board is really not that hard. A source for material, some simple tools and some effort.

have you done board for KMV 8x10?

[Len Middleton]

Might want to consider your future direction and other cameras you think you might own...

My first LF camera was a Linhof Technika IV, so most of my lenses that are mounted onto a size Copal 3 or smaller are on Linhof Technika boards or Technika compatible,and I have a Technika to Deardorff adapter board to use onto an 8x10 Deardorff and 8x20 Korona. I do have a 165mm Angulon in a Compur 3 mounted onto a 6x6 Deardorff type board but that is the way it came and the camera it is paired with. For my bigger lenses, they are mounted on Deardorff type wood lensboards or metal Calumet C1 boards. Little planning on my part, just the way things worked out.

Ari is right in that the Sinar boards are bigger and will accommodate bigger lenses. Conversely, Technika boards are significantly smaller and thus easier to store and carry, and will accommodate up to a size 3 shutter shutter, and after that you are into barrel lenses anyways. Do not know whether the Technika boards woudl accomodate an Ilex 5 shutter. The only other sort of standard size board I can think of this the Graphlic boards and I think it has been over 30 years since that last one was made so I would tend to stick with either the Technika or Sinar.

There was an earlier thread regarding standardizing on lensboards and I think many used the Technika, but do not see either as a bad option, as there are many cameras that use either of those lensboards.

Hope that helps,

Len

[FlyingGiraffes]

Thank you all for the wonderful advice. I've decided to go with an adapter to sinar lens boards like many of you suggested. I will be using lenses mostly in copal 3. Vinny has kindly offered to make me an adapter board for a reasonable price. Thanks again!